This will be the hardest thread to stay away from...
Quote:
Yanks Expected to Win Rights to Igawa
The Yankees won the bidding for Japanese pitcher Kei Igawa, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney is reporting.
The winning bid is expected to be about $25 million. An announcement is expected Tuesday night.
After the bidding closed Monday, the Tigers were informed of the amount of the high bid, but not which team made it, The Associated Press reported. The New York Mets bid about $15 million for Igawa, another baseball official told The AP, on condition of anonymity.
The Yankees will have until midnight at the end of Dec. 28 to work out a contract with the 27-year-old left-hander. Igawa is represented by Arn Tellem, also the agent for Yankees left fielder Hideki Matsui.
The Yankees pay Hanshin only if they reach an agreement for Igawa.
Igawa went 14-9 last season with a 2.97 ERA in Japan. He struck out 194 to tie for the Central League lead, adding to the strikeout titles he won in 2002 and 2004.
Igawa has an 86-60 record with a 3.15 ERA. He would have to play in Japan for three more seasons before he could become a free agent.
The Boston Red Sox bid $51.1 million to win the right to negotiate with Seibu Lions pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, the MVP of the World Baseball Classic. After winning the auction this week, the Red Sox have until midnight on Dec. 14 to agree to a deal with Matsuzaka and his agent, Scott Boras.
Also this week, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays won the rights to Japanese infielder Akinori Iwamura of the Yakult Swallows with a bid of about $4.5 million.
